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• January 8, 2008
• Just Opened

Just Opened: Trovata

Some California sun warms up the back room at NYC's Earnest Sewn. By Meredith Fisher

It seems like yesterday—fall Fashion Week, to be exact—that French footwear icon, Repetto, swept in for a 90-day affair in the back room at Meatpacking denim emporium, Earnest Sewn. But more than three months later, another Fashion Week is around the corner, and Earnest Sewn is on to its latest pop-up conquest—Trovata, which opens today.

It's the same drill—the 420-square-foot space in the rear of their Meatpacking flagship is transformed into a mini shop-in-shop for a short period of time, offering both camps' loyalists a chance to experience their mutually complementary Americana goods. "I met [designer] John Whitledge a few years back at Trovata's first show in New York City," says Earnest Sewn's Scott Morrison. "And much like our line, Trovata draws inspiration from a traditional American lifestyle." In addition to the brands' common aesthetic, Whitledge revealed a coincidental link between them, as well. "My late grandparents owned a farm in Kentucky, and they were neighbors with the Sites family [the renowned denim manufacturer and wash house]," he says. "I couldn't believe it when I found out that Earnest Sewn worked closely with the Sites in product development—it gave me an even stronger appreciation for the heritage and details in their designs."

The shop—popping up this time for just a month—will be designed in keeping with the boat-house style of the Trovata store that Whitledge opened last August in Newport Beach, California (truly, a former boathouse), and will spotlight the brand's first foray into retail on the East Coast. The best of Trovata will be up for grabs, which means men's and women's wear culled from seasons past. In addition to the line's trademark big-button sweaters and other prep-chic pieces, there will be various found objects like vintage books and magazines for sale. "We've always thought about opening a Trovata shop in New York," says Whitledge. "And this collaboration is the perfect opportunity for us to get our feet wet."

In the interest of swapping coasts, this year will see Earnest Sewn expanding to the West—first to Malibu's Country Mart in May and later to open an L.A. flagship. And that means more back rooms, too.

Trovata at Earnest Sewn, January 9—February 9, 821 Washington Street (between Gansevoort and Little West 12th streets); 212-675-0553. For more information, go to www.earnestsewn.com and www.trovata.com.

Some California sun warms up the back room at NYC's Earnest Sewn.